


Where's There's Smoke

by Cherokee62



Series: Schmoop Bingo [2]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Femslash, Fluff, New love, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-25
Updated: 2013-08-25
Packaged: 2017-12-24 15:02:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/941357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherokee62/pseuds/Cherokee62
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary: Emily promises JJ a warm fire on a cold night…<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	Where's There's Smoke

**Author's Note:**

> Schmoop Bingo - Prompt: Fire in the Fireplace
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, if I did, JJ would still be in the BAU and dating Emily. They are owned by CBS Corp. No profit is being made with this story.

It was written all over their faces as they slowly piled out of the elevator.  This last case had been hard and nasty.  Each member of the Behavioral Analysis Unit looked like they hadn’t slept for weeks.  

“Lordy, I need a drink.” Derrick muttered as he dropped his bag on his desk.

“Make mine a double.”  JJ replied as she stumbled past him.

“Make mine five, please.”  Emily quipped.  “No more like that for a little while, ok JJ.  I need a brain re-set.”

JJ laughed, “Hey, call the serial killer’s union and tell them.  I only review and recommend, remember? “

Reid looked over with a perplexed look, “Wait…they’re unionizing now?”

Emily stared at him for a long moment, then shook her head and followed JJ into her office.

“Hey.  I don’t suppose you’re interested in going for a drink tonight; maybe at my place?  It would be less noisy then a bar and we could spend a little quiet time together.” Emily smiled at the blonde woman, silently hoping she would say yes.

JJ paused and looked at the case files still piled on her desk, at her watch, then out at the rainy night.

“Sounds good, but…”

“Aw c’mon, no buts…  After what we just went through, the last thing you need to do is pick up any of those files.  Give your brain a rest. “Emily reasoned.  “Besides, we haven’t had a moment to talk in almost a week, at least any talking that didn’t involve profiles and victims.”

“I know but, it’s nasty out there and I still have to go pick up Henry.”  JJ replied frowning.

“And I’m only talking a few hours.  You don’t have to get Henry for another four hours.  Give me two, that’s all.  I’ll even build you a fire in the fireplace.”  Emily looked at her with big pleading eyes, trying to look as pitiful as she could.

Laughing at her feeble attempts, JJ nodded. “Okay, you win.  But I want that fire to warm me up.  Deal?”

“Deal.”  Emily hugged her quickly, her smile lighting up the room.  “Let’s go!”

“Hold on, hold on.  I still have a few things I have to do before I can leave.  You go ahead and I’ll be there in about twenty minutes, ok?”  Seeing Emily’s doubtful look, JJ smiled and lightly touched her arm, “I promise.”

Rushing home, Emily took out a bottle of her best wine and uncorked it so it could breathe.  She raced around picking up the morning paper and washing her coffee cup that she had left in the sink three mornings ago.    She grabbed some Brie from the fridge and put it out to reach room temperature then rushed in to change out of her work clothes.

Finally she stood in front of the fireplace, looking at it with her head tilted to the side.  “ _How hard can it be?_ ”  She wondered.  This would be the first time she actually used it since she moved in.  There was a fairly large log already sitting in it that she had found one day jogging.  She thought it gave the fireplace a rustic, used look, so she had put it there and promptly forgot about it.

Taking the candle lighter, she held it to the log.  Nothing much happened, except a little smoke.    She moved the flame around, setting it on different spots on the log, even going so far as to blow lightly on it to make it catch.  Still nothing but acrid smoke.

“Oh come on!  Wood plus flame makes fire.  Catch already!”

Emily looked at her watch and panicked.  “Shit!  She’ll be here soon and I promised a goddamn fire!  Catch damn you!”

She looked around the room for something to burn and spied the newspaper.

“ _Oh for the love of_ ….how dumb can you be Prentiss?  Kindling…you have to have _kindling_.”

She balled up huge masses of newspaper and wedged them all around the log and held the flame to them.  Instantly the paper caught and started to burn. 

“Ah Ha!  _Got it_!”

She stood there, proud of herself, until the fire started to burn out.

“ _Nooo_ ….no…no…”

She blew on the flames, sending sparks and soot flying out of the fireplace.

“Oh hell!” 

Anxiously stamping out the little burning embers, Emily got more and more frustrated.

Taking the rest of the newspaper, she balled it up and shoved it under the log firmly and looked at it.  Deciding she need more paper, she grabbed the phone book, _“Who uses phone books anymore anyway”_ , she thought, and started to rip out pages and shove them in around the log.  Soon all you could see was yellow and white pages, with just a hint of the brown log showing.

“That should do it!  She beamed and lit the whole mess on fire.

At first it looked like it was burning just fine until little bits of cinder started to swirl through the air and smoke came billowing out.  She was frantically stomping out the embers and waving at the smoke to clear it.  Seeing ash building up around the log, she started to push at it with a poker, making it fly around and land everywhere.

She was near tears when the knock came at her door.  She rushed over and opened it to a smiling JJ.

“As promised…Emily why is your shirt smoking?”

Emily looked down and yelped, slapping at the material of her shirt, as JJ peered passed her into the smoky room.  She pushed Emily aside and rushed over to the fireplace.

“Did you open the flume?”

“The what?”

“Oh good lord…”  JJ opened the flume and scattered the burning paper around so it would burn itself out and placed the screen in front to catch the embers.

“There that should do it.  What were you trying to do?  Burn your apartment down?”

“I was trying to light a fire for you…”

JJ turned to look at her and make a smart comment, but she had to grin at the usually composed and competent agent.  Her hair was a mess, her shirt black and singed at the arm, soot smeared all over her face.

“Have you ever used this before Em?”

Emily just shook her head.  “No, but really, Jay; it’s a fireplace.  You build a fire in it.  This shouldn’t be that difficult!”

Emily looked sadly at the mess she had made and grimaced

“Oohh, look at this place.  I was just trying to make you a warm comfortable fire.  All I made was a mess.”

Biting back a laugh, JJ grinned at her.  ‘”Tell you what.  Why don’t you go get cleaned up and I’ll take care of this?  No arguments…go.”

Grumbling Emily complied and stomped into the bedroom.  She took a quick shower and pulled on fresh clothes, checking her watch constantly.

She came out and headed to the living room.  She was surprised to find the lights turned down and a soft glow coming from the room.  She peeked in and saw JJ lounging on the sofa with a glass of wine in her hand looking as calm and relaxed as ever.  The room had been cleaned up and the air smelled sweet.

“You got the fire going?  How did you…?”

Emily turned and looked at the fireplace.  Instead of a roaring fire it was filled with candles of every size and shape.  The multiple flames were casting a warm glow into the room.

Gapping at the beautiful scene, Emily stuttered, “Ho-how did…?”

“Where there’s smoke…”  JJ shrugged.  “I said I wanted a fire in the fireplace.  I never said it had to be a raging inferno.”  JJ hid a smirk behind her wine glass, her eyes sparkling with the reflection of the flames.

Emily walked over and leaned down to kiss JJ softly on the lips.  “You are amazing Agent Jareau…simply amazing.”

Patting the cushion next to her, JJ leaned forward and picked up the other glass of wine and handed it to Emily.  “Now isn’t this better?  She said, kissing Emily again, “So romantic.” 

“Jay…”

“Shhh…no talking just yet,” She leaned against Emily’s shoulder, pulling her legs up behind her on the couch, nuzzling into her shoulder as she gazed at the fire.  Sighing deeply and contentedly, JJ closed her eyes, “Much better.”

Emily wrapped her arms around her, pulling her closer as warmth spread through her, “Yes, much better.”

  
 **_fin_ **


End file.
